2005 - Harness Tracks of America, Inc.

HARNESS TRACKS OF AMERICAExecutive NewsletterA daily fax and e-mail report on racing and gaming developments in North America and beyondStanley F. Bergstein, Editor March 15, 2005SEE AND HEAR THE MEETINGIf you weren’t fortunate enough to make theHTA/TRA meeting in Indian Wells, California,and enjoy the charms -- and especially theweather -- of the Palm Springs area, don’t despair.We can’t deliver the weather, but we canbring you the sights and sounds and interestingpanels of the Thursday and Friday general sessions,thanks to Todd Roberts and his RobertsCommunications Network of Las Vegas. Todd,who also annually and generously sponsors ouropening night reception, has again made availablevideo streaming of the entire Thursday andFriday proceedings. Thursday’s sessions are upon our HTA Web site, www.harnesstracks.comand Friday’s will be up in a day or two, and willremain there. There was a great amount of interestingthings discussed on those two days, sowatch and listen if you missed it first time around.MONMOUTH NIGHTS DEAD?The mayor of Oceanport, New Jersey, MariaGatta, has told the Asbury Park Press that shebelieves night racing at Monmouth Park -- proposedby acting governor Richard Codey -- isdead for 2005. Codey’s spokesman, Joseph L.Fiordaliso, was scheduled to have appeared at a“town meeting” last week, but was ill and cancelled.The next town meeting is scheduled forJune 1, and Monmouth will be racing by then,its meeting starting May 14. Mayor Gatto toldthe Press, “Do I believe it is off the table for 2005?Yes, I do. We have constant communication inwhich we’re hearing unofficially that night racingwill not happen in 2005. Now we’d like theofficial answer. We’d like to get something inwriting.” In other New Jersey developments, astate senate committee approved a bill that wouldban smoking in offices, restaurants, bars andcasinos, and a study commissioned by theCodey administration said 2,000 slots atthe Meadowlands would have only aminimal effect on Atlantic City casinos.COURT INVITES NEW SUITORSA U.S. bankruptcy court in Utica, NY, has terminatedMid-State Raceway’s exclusive right tosubmit a reorganization plan for Vernon Downs,and said it will accept competing bids after April4. The ruling opens the door to anyone, but particularlyhelps Shawn Scott, who is trying to regaincontrol of the track. Scott’s lawyer said“Everybody in the case, other than the debtorand Jeff Gural, opposed the extension of exclusivitybecause they all said in order to the get thebest deal for Mid-State, you need to have a competingbidder. The court gets to decide if the planis feasible and if it’s fair and equitable. Everyonehas to put up or shut up. You put in a planand people pick which one they’re going to votefor. All of the different groups get to vote onwhich one they want.” According to the lawyer,Deborah Deitsch-Perez, Sc-ott and Gural are settingup a meeting to discuss Scott’s offer to partner50-50 with Gural, each putting up $18 millionto settle all claims against Mid-State. “I thinkwhat the decision does,” she said, “is it encouragesMr. Gural to work with us, because if hedoesn’t, well then we can put in our own offer. Ithink if we can’t work something out with Mr.Gural, it’s very likely that we would.” JusticeCheney, speaking for Mid-State, said of the courtdecision, “If you were a debtor and we owed youmoney, why wouldn’t you say, well, let’s wait untilafter April 4 and see what Shawn Scott offers orwhat somebody else offers? So I don’t know ifthis helps us, but it does give us some time.”In another Scott-related episode, the group thatbacked a failed initiative to legalize slots in thenation’s capital -- reportedly funded by Scott andassociates -- told a hearing of the WashingtonD.C. election board that it hired and relied on aprofessional firm that collected phony signatures,and therefore “can’t be held responsible forcirculators they did not hire, pay or control.”